


Between Ice and A Cold Place

by hayam



Series: to everything there is a season [1]
Category: Brave (2012), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Human Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Jack Has Issues, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 21:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20607632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayam/pseuds/hayam
Summary: Jack Frost has fallen ill and his only chance at life is making a choice; but if that choice will hurt the ones he loves, is it even worth it?





	Between Ice and A Cold Place

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story before "Humanity" but it takes place in the same alternative universe. Probably will rearrange the stories later. Also should I write one with Merida and Jack meeting Hiccup and Astrid or Rapunzel and Eugene?

North frowned as he saw a sleeping Jack snuggling up to the fire, his defrosting hair hanging in his face. It would have normally been a nice sight to see if Jack Frost was supposed to sleep and his hair was supposed to be a mess of brown and white and if fire wasn't usually toxic to him.

Sandy needed to hurry up convincing The Man in the Moon to come to the North Pole. Jack had been becoming more weak over the past six months and it has not been looking up for the usually jovial guardian of fun.

"He had been asleep for nearly twelve hours," North muttered as he combed through Jack's thick locks, flinching at how cold and damp the hair was between his fingers.

"He's getting worse," Tooth muttered

"He's dying," Bunny corrected,"I knew him being with that mortal would do that to him."

Sadly, North agreed with Bunny's statement the most. Jack was still cold all the time but was no longer immune to it and needed constant heat to stay alive. North couldn't blame Princess Merida however, she didn't force Jack to fall in love with her. The heart wants what it wants...even when it might be fatal.

"Maybe he and Merida should break up and see if he gets better," Tooth suggested.

It was no coincidence that Jack been more sick since he had been more committed to Merida. Tooth had always had a bit of an unrequited infatuation with Jack so she was not particularly fond of the redhead princess. But Bunny disliked, well more like hated, Merida the most; seeing her as distracting Jack from his guardian duties.

"Dat is not going to work, Tooth, Jack is adores Merida more than snow days and pranks combined," North reminded. He remembered when North 

Jack started shivering so suddenly it made North flinch back and the Russia stood helplessly as he watched a large section of Jack's hair turned brown.

North had never felt so worried about someone before in his life. Jack was the closest thing that any of them had to a child of their own since Jack was the youngest of the guardians.

Bunny hopped towards Jack so fast that it made North's head spin and scooped the boy up his arms carefully into his arms.

"What are you doing with Jack?," North asked.

"The North Pole is too cold for him now, the Warren would be much warmer don't you think?!," Bunny snapped,"you guys get the redhead sheila and we can have a little meeting."

North knew when the more worried Bunny becomes, the more irritable he would get and when Jack became sick, no one could talk to Bunny without getting yelled at. Before North could protest, Bunny stumped twice on the ground, and fell into the tunnels as he tightly held onto Jack.

\----

Just as Bunny predicted, Jack got better after some time in the Warren. It wasn't much, Jack was sweating cold sweat and his breathing was shallow and he hasn't been talking much. But at least he was finally out of his deep slumber. Bunny would never admit it but seeing Jack, someone known for his lively and joking nature sleeping for more that twelve hours each day terrified him more than whatever Pitch was able to shovel out of his lair. Bunny would give every whisker he had just to see Jack bouncy and...well...fun again.

"You know you guys don't have to constantly watch over me everyday," Jack explained, his voice still heavy with sleep,"I was alone for 300 years so I am pretty self-reliant."

Bunny winced at Jack's statement, Fifteen years after working with the young seasonal spirit and the guilt of ignoring the boy for 300 years still loomed over the Pooka.

"I'm sorry about that mate, but you are our friend and we aren't going to let you suffer anymore than you already had."

Jack doubled over and Bunny immediately started rubbing his friend's back

"You guys aren't making things easier, you know?," Jack hissed as he looked up.

Bunny was left puzzled. What the bloody hell was Jack talking about? 

When Jack looked back up Bunny's eyes widened as he noticed one of Jack's famous icy blue eyes have reverted back to a light chocolate.

"Your eyes, mate..."

"What about them?!"

At that moment North, Tooth, Sandy, Merida and The Man in The Moon crashed in the Warren on the sleigh. And if he finds out that North had crushed some of his eggs before winter...

Merida ran towards Jack and engulfed him in a hug.

"You idiot, why did I have to hear from Santa and the big hummingbird that you were sick and not you?!"

Bunny couldn't help but notice Tooth rolling her eyes.

Jack's hair had quickly started turning brown when Merida hugged him and by the time they stopped, his hair was perfectly symmetrical of brown and white.

"I didn't tell you because nothing was wrong," Jack answered as he glared at the guardians,"why did you guys bring her? I didn't want Mer to see me like this! I didn't even want you guys to see me like this!"

"It was my idea," Bunny explained,"you weren't listening to us but you might listen to Merida since you are dying because of her."

The frustration he had towards the Dunbroch princess just slipped off his tongue. 

Sandy facepalmed, North started looking up at the sky like he didn't want to be there, Tooth nodded in agreement Manny remained silent and observant. Bunny didn't care, the elephant had been in the room for two years and it was time to set it on fire.

Merida snapped her head around so quick and Bunny used to think Jack gave the worst glares but then he saw the Princess of Dunbroch's lightning blue eyes.

"What did you say furball?"

Jack grabbed Merida's hand, almost as if he was restraining her.

"Merida...," Jack pleaded.

"Bunny's right, Jack was perfectly fine before he met you," Tooth muttered.

"Tooth," Jack groaned now holding onto his staff.

"That's weird because Jack told me he never felt open with a person until he met me," Merida retorted.

"Why you entitled-"

Sandy flew between the three of them and angrily pointed an arrow at Jack, who was now leaning on his staff for support to stand up. He was breathing almost as if all the air in the Warren was sucked up by a vacuum. 

"Children!," North interrupted,boomed across the Warren,"Sandy is right, the main concern is Jack's health and all of you are hurting him by dis fussing and nagging."

Well, that made Bunny feel like rabbit poop and he knew Tooth and Merida felt the same. They were too busy arguing about Jack being sick until they forgot Jack was sick.

"I'm so sorry, Frostbite," Bunny apologized.

"I just want to see you happy again," Merida explained while ruffling his hair,"forget about us."

"And even your vision of happiness do not fit ours, don't let it go because of us," Tooth told him.

Jack gave them all a smile that did not meet his now mismatched eyes. it was not the smile of pride Jack gives when he was talking about Jamie or the joyful smile Jack gave when he was talking about Merida or even the sinister smile he would give Bunny before a prank. This smile was small, more timid. In fact, Bunny would even dare to call the Winter Spirit's smile guilty.

"Okay, everyone has calmed down," Manny stated walking towards Jack and grabbed Jack's hand and started walking away.

"Where are you taking Jack, Manny?"

The smile on Manny's face turned to that same guilty smile that Jack wore, giving Bunny the feeling that the Man in the Moon and Jack were hiding something.

"That is between me and Jack, Bunny."

\---

Jack wanted nothing more than to freeze the man that had left him alone for 300 years. That stupid Man in the Moon, left him wandering like a ghost for three centuries, made him guardian, only to have the love of his life be a mortal. 

"I'm surprised you want to walk with little old me after ghosting me for 300 years," Jack muttered, kicking an egg out of the way.

"It is okay for you still be mad at me, Jack but that is for another meeting," the little man stated,"you know what you have to do get better."

Jack knew exactly what to do. He had known for a while how he was going to get better, but going through with that plan seemed near impossible.

"Yes...you have to make me a mortal so I can be with Merida or I break up with her to be a guardian...or I just fade away."

How to make that choice that would not hurt anyone was the tricky part. If he stayed with Merida, the guardians would be hurt and if he remained a guardian, Merida would be hurt. Either way, Jack was the one getting hurt.

"And you already know what the choice will be...which is why your body is tending to lean more human rather than your Jack Frost form."

Jack had known where his heart wanted to be ever since that night underneath the stars with the rebel princess. But he couldn't bear leaving The Guardians behind, they were his family and he had a responsibility to protect the children. And more selfishly, he wanted to still ride the winds and create snow days on top of snow days for children. But he loved Merida just a little bit more than all those things combined. He knew that being with Merida only would make him more happy than being with the guardians and never seeing Merida again...or worse, watching her grow old and die without him.

But then North, Bunny, Sandy and Tooth would all watch him grow old and die if he stayed with Merida which would hurt them.

"What if they don't want to talk to me anymore?," sounding more like a child on a playground than an immortal seventeen year old,"what if we lose touch?"

"It will be different when you talk to them again...you will be older, a different person," the Man in the Moon stated,"but different isn't so bad."

The winter spirit then realized that remembering his life as a guardian and being with Merida would be impossible. To have memories of flying and travelling the world and having ice powers and willingly give it away. Maybe the Man in the Moon could be helpful in this situation.

Jack smiled at the older man as he realized his problems can be solved with just a wave of his hand.

"I am ready," Jack stated,"but first you have to do something for me."

The Man in the Moon looked up at him with an expectant smile.

"Take every last memory I have with the guardians and of my life as Jack Frost...until I have kids of my own."


End file.
